COVID: 223 new cases in categories three to five

KUALA LUMPUR: Only 223 out of 30,246 new COVID-19 cases recorded Wednesday (March 9) were in categories three to five, said Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the other 30,023 cases comprised categories one and two, with the additional new cases bringing the case tally in the country to 3,711,199.

"Meanwhile, a total of 26,653 recovered cases were reported, bringing the cumulative total of recoveries to 3,367,542," he said in a statement today.

Dr Noor Hisham said of the 223 new cases in categories three to five, 58 cases were unvaccinated or had not been fully vaccinated; 107 cases had received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine but had not received a booster dose; and 58 cases had received a booster dose.

"A total of 120 cases involved those aged 60 and above, 53 with comorbidities," he said.

Dr Noor Hisham also informed that 1,929 cases were admitted to hospitals yesterday, 734 of which were in categories three, four and five, and 1,195 others in categories one and two.

He said 388 cases required treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with 225 requiring respiratory assistance.

On ICU bed occupancy in hospitals, he said seven states recorded 50 per cent or more, namely Kelantan (79 per cent); Kuala Lumpur (73 per cent); Johor (68 per cent); Putrajaya (67 per cent); Selangor (66 per cent); Penang and Perak (51 per cent each).

As for the country's infectivity rate (Rt), Dr Noor Hisham said it was now 1.06 with Sarawak recording the highest Rt of 1.36 followed by Kuala Lumpur (1.19), Terengganu (1.16), Perak (1.14) and Negeri Sembilan (1.07).

-- BERNAMA